Bengals LB explains postgame outburst over teammate's penalty

Germaine Pratt Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports

Bengals LB Germaine Pratt explains postgame outburst over teammate's penalty

By Victor Barbosa | Last updated 1/30/23

Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Germaine Pratt said Monday that he was "wrong" for his postgame outburst Sunday when he yelled "Why the f*** would you touch the quarterback?" in frustration as he entered the team's locker room.

Pratt's words came following the Bengals' 23-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game. While he didn't look to be talking to anybody in particular, the words were referring to teammate Joseph Ossai's costly late hit penalty on Patrick Mahomes that put the Chiefs in field goal range to win the game with three seconds left in regulation.

The team's leader in passes defended this season with 10, Pratt said that anybody who's competitive would have the same reaction he had, but he was "emotional," "in the moment" and "wasn't a great teammate" when he seemingly called out Ossai.

Germaine Pratt says he felt badly for comments criticizing Joseph Ossai. Says he wants to play for a Super Bowl winner and Bengals give him that shot. pic.twitter.com/1JiSPCCEHr
— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) January 30, 2023

Despite missing two regular season games, Pratt was second on the team in combined tackles (99) and tied for second with six tackles for loss. Following a lost rookie year in 2021 due to a preseason meniscus injury, Ossai had a strong 2022 campaign, finishing tied for second on the team with two fumble recoveries, third in sacks (3.5) and fourth in quarterback hits (10).

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